Wilder Reunion
by Nix Entente
Summary: Zelos' parties have always drawn gorgeous, audacious women. Unfortunately, Presea has never thought quite so highly of herself. Ultimately, LloydPresea pairing.
1. Chapter 1

Author's Note: You know, there are ways to play Tales of Symphonia in which Presea is the canon pairing for Lloyd. I thought that was very interesting. I don't know.

Title: Wilder Reunion

Summary: Zelos' parties have always drawn gorgeous, audacious women. Unfortunately, Presea has never thought quite so highly of herself.

Rating: K. The worst you'll ever see is maybe some kissing later.

Soundtrack: None. Listen to a waltz, or " Baby, Look At Us Now," by Saline Paris, if you're desperate.

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" Are you actually going tonight looking like that?"

Presea looked over her shoulder and the ladies in the doorway. They were typical of women that Zelos entertained—beautiful, sparkling, overdone. For all their gaudiness, however, Presea couldn't help feeling stung at the barely concealed slight at her own modest decoration.

" I thought..." she began hesitantly, " I thought the dress was enough." It was a new dress, deep green like pine. A row of green buttons trailed up to her neck, and a white sheer material draped over her arms, reaching to her elbows, lined with a green silk ribbon.

One young woman with curly raven hair laughed softly and strode towards her. " Well, first off, if you're going to wear a knee-length dress, you really ought to wear stockings as well." Presea frowned just a bit. " Oh, don't look so glum, dear." The girl smiled. " Tell me, is there someone–a young man, let's say–that you want to impress?"

A blush immediately washed over her cheeks. " Y-yes..."

" I thought so." Again, the black-haired woman smiled, this time more freely. " In that case, I'll just have to make you my pet, little country mouse. My name is Marina." She held one delicate, gloved hand in introduction. Presea shook it, wary of grasping too hard with her own strong hand.

" Presea."

Marina went straight to business, examining Presea's hand carefully. " Right, then. You seem to be a working woman." This elicited several soft titters, but most of the girls simply looked away. " Brittany, love, her hands are about the same as yours—feet, too. Why don't you send home for those gloves you wore at your sister's wedding, and...ah," She tapped her lip thoughtfully and tugged gently at the smooth fabric of the dress. " You _must_ have shoes this color...of course, those charming little heels from the costume ball last month–the strappy ones."

Stepping back several paces, Marina scrutinized the current outfit head to toe. Presea shifted, uncomfortable under her critical gaze. The other gentlewomen waited quietly, obviously eager to see what their apparent ring leader would do with this blatantly naive girl.

Suddenly, Marina came toward Presea again, and began to undo the buttons at the top of her dress. Presea stiffened, and her hand shot up to stop the process. Marina paused, then laughed.

" It's alright, love! Don't be so modest! You've got a perfectly lovely figure, and therefore a right to flaunt." A sly, thin-lipped smirk curled Marina's mouth. Presea relaxed, still unsure.

She undid the button just several inches past Presea's collarbone, then–folding back the cloth–covered a gasp with her palm. An intricate twirl of taut white skin traced the path of where the Cruxis Crystal had been fused with her body. " I wanted to cover the scar," she murmured, just loud enough for Marina to hear.

The lady watched her eyes for a moment, before swallowing softly and composing herself with a honey-dipped smile again. " Angela, send for Sebastian. I have a few things I need from my house. Quickly now, love."

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Nix: Now remember: if you happen, by some freak chance, to read this and actually like it, review. Otherwise, I won't be continuing it. This piece has one, maybe two more chapters, but I'll only put them up if there is any interest. At least five reviews saying they want more.


	2. Chapter 2

Author's Note: Yesh. I'm very slow. So sue me. I know this chapter is a bit...wordy...and...uneditted...and...boring...but I like it so much better than the first one. XD And, just so no one gets confused, I wanted to list the pairing. It seems safer. If you don't want to know, don't decifer this code: l0yd/Pr37e. Yes, I'm feeling manic, because it's 1:30 AM as I post, which is why you're getting pairings in code. XD

Soundtrack: "You're a God," by Vertical Horizon. Hip-hoorah for Pandora! Also, "I'll Bet That You Look Good on the Dance Floor," Artic Monkeys, and "Drops of Jupiter," Train.

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It was a fine party, Zelos decided. The guests seemed pleased, and there hadn't been any great fusses as of yet. Of course, an eventual spat was to be expected. It was hard, after all, to have so many rick people in one room without some disagreements arising.

But, over all, he was happy with the way it turned out. Really, it had been a few years since he threw a good party like this. That fact made sense; after the events of the Regeneration, it had taken a while to reform himself. No one could say he was the same as he had been, but no one could say that he had changed that much either. Zelos rather liked it that way.

Speaking of...

Crystalline blue eyes darted quickly about the room, looking for the faces of the few who knew him. Regal he'd seen already; they'd worked rather closely of late, and often met at events such as these. It was no great surprise that Regal attended.

Sheena had refused outright. Again, no great surprise. He'd get her to come of her own will someday. The Sages had been practically impossible to reach, and Zelos had finally resorted to asking Lloyd--who he'd seen actually, gotta get back to him--to pass the message along. He didn't see either half-elf currently, and Colette had written back to express her deepest regrets for being unable to attend. Sweet kid.

Presea had said she was coming, and he'd seen her a few hours before the festivities began, as she crept up to the changing rooms, but not since then.

But, no use wondering about the absentees. Concentrate on the moment here, boy. Zelos combed back the strands of hair that had fallen free from the loose braid that held the bulk of his mane, and deftly snatched a finely-crafted wine glass from one of the passing trays. Swirling the liquid about the cup, he squinted at the contents. The drink was an absolutely perfect shade of pink. Just a touch of yellow stained it, gave it a sophisticated look and feel and smell and--he tilted the glassed up and enjoyed the wine--ah, yes, and taste, which was all that really mattered in the long run.

Well, what with the perfect wine in the perfect glass at this perfectly wonderful party, the only thing missing was a perfect girl with whom he could dance to the perfect music. It was an excellent group of musicians, too.

The once-Chosen threw his head back in resolution, raising his cup to an invisible companion. To finding the perfect girl. Tonight. He laughed aloud at the ridiculousness of the mission and quickly set about the silly business. Alicia. She was sweet enough, but couldn't keep her mouth shut if her life depended on it. Oh! There was Lexie! She was even wearing low shoes, perfect for dancing.

Of course, she had to come with him. Possessive bastard. Zelos scowled as another effeminately handsome man wrapped his arm around her corset-bound waist.

Dear Ebitha had an charming personality, but no dancing skill whatsoever. Fiona was one of the few who really did despise his very essence. Katrina was cursed with both the inability to dance and the inability to put a proper set of words together, not to mention a string of thoughts. Cynthia had already managed to twist her ankle.

Marina, however, seemed in excellent state of health, state of mind, state of sobriety. Zelos raised his eyebrows. The older beauty was certainly an appealing option. In fact, it seemed she was the only option. He quickly downed the remainder of his drink, setting the glass down on the nearest empty chair, and walked with only the slightest swagger towards Marina.

The girl was only mildly engaged in her conversation, and it was to his great satisfaction that he drew her immediate attention. Marina turned her cool brown eyes toward him, burgundy lips turning up at the corners. "Why, Mister Wilder," she cooed, extending her hand to him, "I was worried I wouldn't see you at all this evening. You've been so elusive." She always was the picture of elegance.

"Ah, Miss Catalonia, I've been remiss. I've always been a simply dreadful host." He bent down to plant a quick kiss on her hand, smiling at his own stuffy speech. "You'll have to excuse my atrocious behavior."

She shrugged delicately. "I'm sure you'll more than compensate. However, seeing as you've been rather horrible tonight, I'll assume that you have not yet greeted my little Mouse."

He frowned curiously at this comment, head leaning to the side. "And who might that be?"

"Dearie," Marina called over her shoulder, hand stretching to another, smaller girl's shoulder, "Come meet our host."

The petite young woman turned, and Zelos suddenly wished that he'd waited just a bit longer in picking out a partner. Marina's mouse tucked her head in shyly, wisps of soft red hair brushing over her white-shadowed eyes, pearl-gloved hands wrapped around one of the perfect wine glasses. "Hello, Zelos," glossed lips greeted softly, hinting at a smile.

Zelos grinned shamelessly. "Presea." He moved closer, gently cupping her face in his hands and pressing his own lips to her forehead. "Hello."

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Nix: Enjoy till I get the next bit out. This'll probably wind up in about four chapters.


	3. Chapter 3

Author's Note: Yes! I update! Shock and amazement flood over the crowd! Chapter three, because I'm in a Zelos mode. If you wanna know pairings...bite me. You should have been reading the past two chapters.

Sorry about the shortness of the chapters. I really want to take this scene by scene--try to really expand on as many aspects of each circumstance as I can.

Soundtrack: "I Could Have Danced All Night," from _My Fair Lady_. Except...slow it down a bit. More emo.

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Zelos wrapped his arm around Presea's waist. "Have I told you yet how glad I am that you're here?"

"You've met before?" Rich eyes narrowed and sweet lips pursed, Marina smiled. "I hadn't known."

"We go back," the young man affirmed, "and I'm afraid I'll have to return to you in just a little while, Marina. You don't mind do you?"

She nodded discreetly. "Of course not. Till then."

"Till then." Zelos tilted his glass to the tall girl, then gently began to lead his friend in the opposite direction. "Presea, you look...amazing."

"Really?" Presea murmured, looking up at him through decorated eyes. It was a bit odd, but she admittedly liked it. It felt...pretty. And nice, to be complimented. Even with Zelos's hand at her stomach, pulling her to his side--it felt right. "I've never done all of this before. At least--I mean--"

He laughed. "I get it. How are the adjustments going, by the way?"

From anyone else, the question would have been completely tactless. But, coming from Zelos, it was caring. She shifted a bit, actually resting her arm on his. "It's...very strange. I feel like a--a plant that's...sprouting up suddenly." Icy eyes darted about the room. "I feel...happy. But nervous. To be here...Thank you for inviting me, Zelos."

"No problem." He glanced down, tilting her head up with one finger. "You've really grown, haven't you?"

Presea nodded, cheeks tinged pink.

"You okay with that?"

"...I hurt some days. In my bones."

"Do you hurt now?"

"Not now."

"Good." Releasing her waist to reach up and trace her fine hair, Zelos smirked softly. "You're becoming quite the lady, Presea. It's good to see you coming out." Then, more loudly--"I think I'll call you 'Miss Butterfly' from now on! Tell me, Miss Butterfly, have you seen our other friends as of yet?"

Presea didn't know whether she should laugh or not. She didn't. "Who's here?"

"Old man Regal, naturally. Did you know that we're doing business together now?"

"I didn't."

"Well, he does business, and I just behave rudely. It's a nice agreement we have. And then, over there, Lloyd's hiding in a corner--"

She straightened suddenly, gloved hand clamping slightly over Zelos's.

He scowled. "You okay?"

"Lloyd's here?" She muttered. Her stomach was in knots, writhing, moving knots.

Zelos gave a short laugh. "Well, sure. Is that a problem?"

"N-no. I wasn't expecting--I didn't know--"

"Sh, hush." He tapped a finger to her mouth, curious at the way her eyes darted about and her cheeks began to glow. Once again, he wrapped his hand against her waist, guiding her towards one of the tables away from so many crowding socialites. Once he'd pulled out her chair, Zelos sat across from the flustered girl and leaned forward. "What's the matter, Butterfly?"

Presea looked down, hands flat against her red face. "Nothing. I'm just surprised. That's all."

"Well, you weren't surprised to hear that Regal was here." Scowling mildly, he tilted his head to catch her eyes. "What makes you so nervous?"

"I...I haven't seen him for a year." She murmured.

It wasn't much of a statement. But, it wasn't hard to tell that it meant more than words. Judging solely by expression, Zelos was fairly sure he'd pinpointed the problem, and now he merely needed to remedy it. "Well," he proclaimed, standing, "Stay here for a minute, Butterfly. I'll bring him over." And he spun around to find the young man in question.

Presea tried to protest. "No, Zelos! Please..." But the redhead had already flowed into the rest of the glamourous crowd, and he couldn't hear her.

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Nix: So, this was only supposed to be two chapters, but I'm guessing that it's gonna be five. Just so everyone knows.


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